1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to handled cleaning implements in general, and specifically to such implements having a cleaning liquid dispensing handle and a cleaning pad disposed at an end of the handle for receiving cleaning liquid dispensed therefrom.
2. The Prior Art
Handled cleaning implements are well known and commonly used household cleaning aids. Such implements typically comprise a gripping handle portion at one end and a cleaning pad or sponge mounted to an opposite end. The user grips the device by the handle and cleans a surface by means of the sponge end. A scraping blade is typically provided at a forward end to assist the user in certain cleaning tasks.
A useful enhancement to the conventional cleaning implement has been the development of a dispensing handle having an internal reservoir for the storage of liquid cleanser. The dispensing handle provides a through passageway at the remote sponge end through which the stored liquid cleanser is dispensed under the influence of gravity into the sponge member. The liquid cleanser can thereby be supplied continuously to the sponge and therefrom to any surface in contact with the sponge.
While the liquid dispensing handled implement described above represents an improvement over traditional devices, a serious shortcoming is that the discharge of liquid cleanser is continuous and unregulated. Consequently, it is typical that more liquid than is necessary becomes deposited on the sponge and is wasted. A second shortcoming is that the connection between the sponge member and the handle is not liquid tight, and leakage of the liquid can occur between the components. The result, again, is wasted cleaning liquid.
To solve the above deficiencies, improved liquid dispensing handled implements have been devised for regulating the quantity of liquid cleaner dispensed from the handle reservoir and for sealing the connection between the sponge and the handle member. U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,826,340 and 5,454,659 are representative of such improvements. The device in U.S. Pat. No. 5,454,659 comprises a handle and a sponge applicator. The handle includes a nipple at one end having a pinhole opening through which liquid flows from the handle reservoir. The sponge applicator attaches to the handle to form a liquid tight seal between the applicator and the outside circumference of the handle, and between the nipple and an opening in the support piece of the applicator. Excess liquid is thereby directed without leakage through the nipple and into the sponge. While this configuration prevents waste from escaping liquid, it does not allow the user to efficiently regulate the quantity of cleaning liquid is dispensed from the handle into the sponge member.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,454,659 provides a mechanism for controlling or regulating the volume of liquid discharged from the handle. The brush comprises a two housing halves, a brush body, and a valve member. The housing is formed as two symmetrically configured halves are attached and define therebetween a reservoir. The valve member is assembled within a groove of one half housing member and encaptured therein as the second half housing is attached to the first housing half. The valve is actuated by a slide mechanism to open and close an aperture in a lower portion of the housing member, whereby controlling the flow of liquid from the housing onto the brush body.
While the mechanism of U.S. Pat. No. 5,454,659 functions as intended to control the flow of liquid between the handle housing and the brush body, several deficiencies remain. First, four components are required, adding to the cost of manufacture. Moreover, the assembly of the four components is labor intensive and, accordingly, costly. Secondly, the assembly of the components is complicated by the requirement that the valve member be mounted within the reservoir of the handle housing. In addition, the handle housing itself is of relatively thick walled construction, necessitated by the functional demands thereon in housing and supporting the valve member, and by the functional provision of a scraping blade element at a forward end. The additional strength required in the handle housing, again, adds undesirable cost to the device. Finally, repair or replacement of the valve component is extremely difficult or impossible because the valve assembly is configured to house the valve element between the handle halves. In order to access the valve member, destruction of the handle would be necessary.
The present invention overcomes the aforementioned deficiencies in the prior art applicator devices by providing a two component assembly comprising a handle housing and an applicator attachment. The handle housing is formed of thin-walled plastic construction and includes an internal liquid reservoir and a discharge opening at a working end for allowing liquid to exit the reservoir. The applicator attachment comprises a molded plastic base plate of relatively thicker wall construction which releasably attaches to the handle housing. An applicator element, preferably a sponge or a plurality of brush bristles are affixed to one surface of the applicator attachment.
Integrally formed with the applicator attachment base plate is a valve member, comprising a molded plastic lever member and a molded plastic torsion spring. The lever member includes. a first forward extending arm having a stopper attached at a remote end, a second rearward extending arm, and a fulcrum portion between the first and second lever arms. The torsion spring is configured as a plastic arm supported at opposite ends by the base plate and a suspended mid-portion extending between the supported opposite ends. The fulcrum portion of the lever is pivotally attached to the mid-portion of the torsion spring and the lever member pivots between an unbiased first position in which the stopper is positioned away from the discharge opening and a biased second position in which the stopper is biased against the handle housing in sealing relationship to the discharge opening.
The applicator attachment base plate, valve member, and torsion spring are integrally formed as a one-piece unit, eliminating the need for assembly and resulting in economies of manufacture. The handle housing is molded as a one-piece unit and of thin-walled construction to conserve material. A scraping element is formed in the applicator attachment base plate at a forward end. The applicator attachment is releasably secured to the handle housing and can be removed and readily replace the attachment with another.
The lever member is digitally actuated to reliably seal the discharge opening in the handle housing, whereby giving the user control over the quantity of cleaning liquid discharged from the handle reservoir.
Accordingly, it is an objective of the subject invention to provide a liquid applicator implement having reliable means for controlling the quantity of liquid discharged.
A further objective of the invention is to provide a liquid applicator implement which has a minimal assembly requirement.
Still another objective is to provide a liquid applicator which provides a scraper element at a forward end.
Yet a further objective is to provide a liquid applicator which is readily refilled.
An additional objective is to provide a liquid applicator having minimal leakage.
A further objective is to provide a liquid applicator comprising a minimal number of component parts which individually are economically and readily manufactured, and which are economically and readily assembled.
These, and other objectives, which will be appreciated by one skilled in the art, are achieved by a preferred embodiment which is described in detail below and illustrated in the accompanying drawings.